The Protector
by Amanda6
Summary: Cordy's visions have taken a major tole on her. An unlikely person is chosen to help her. New chapter added!
1. Prolouge

"The Protecter"  
  
Rating: PG-13 for language   
Summary: Cordy's visions have taken a major tole on her. An unlikely person is chosen to help  
her.  
Authors Notes: Takes place after the Angel and BtVS finales. Buffy has been brought back  
however Joss plans to do it(no mopey angel then :P) and Fred is off visiting her relatives.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*****************~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Darkness and pain. Thats all Cordy could feel as she jolted up in her bed. Grabbing her head  
she screamed. She wasn't having a vision, no, but feeling the aftershock of one. Over the past   
couple weeks they had become unbarable. The 3 hour long headaches, the lack of strength, the  
lack of sleep. The feeling of losing all control she had once had, or thought she had. Her life  
had been completely givin up to the visions. She hadn't been getting sleep for some time now, and  
dark circles were already cemented under her once so vibrant brown eyes. They were now   
weathered and tired, as was her body. She didn't let on to anyone about how serious her pain had  
become, its not as if they could do anything, she was chosen for this great honor or curse. Isn't  
that what they had called it in Pylea, a curse?   
Cordy breathed deeply, trying to subdue the pain. Hoping, praying, that it would stop. This  
happened almost everynight and Cordy never found the relief she was looking for quickly. She   
slowly stood, still clutching her head, and on wobbly legs hobbled to the kitchen. She prepared   
a hot cup of tea and sat down to commence in her new found nightly ritual;staring at the clock  
aimlessly watching the hours tick by while drinking her tea and waiting for the pain to pass. She  
looked at the clock,"2 am,"she thought,"let the ritual begin!"  
------------------  
Little did she know that a sleepness night was also being shared by one of the most unlikely  
people, Lindsey McDonald.  
-----------------  
Lindsey slightly jerked in his sleep. His head tossed and turned then suddenly his eyes opened.  
"Damnit,"He thought as he ran his findgers through his hair,"why the hell do I keep dreaming   
about her?!"he said under his breath. He got up and with his arms flailing about in frustiation,   
starred at his dog and yelled,"WHY DO I KEEP DREAMING ABOUT HER!?!?!" he said it as if he expected  
the dog to answer and solve his problems. The dog just stared up at him, he continued his rant,  
"I dont even like her! Well, its not that I dont like her, I dont even know her!....She works  
with Angel. I *hate* Angel,and.." he stoped and looked at the dog and sighed "you dont even know  
what I'm talking about do you?" He bent down and patted the dog's head and said,"Its okay girl."  
He turned to face the window,with his body leaning into the windowsill. "Suns almost up,"  
he thought as he saw the first rays of light peek over the hills," I gotta get some sleep."   
With that, he shook his head in frustration and climbed back into bed. Lindsey wouldnt have   
been so eager to get back into bed if he had know what was about to happen.  
  
TBC  
  



	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
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Lindsey was asleep in notime, and again, found himself dreaming, but it wasn't like the other dreams.  
There was no Cordelia. Instead, just darkness and fog. Darkness and the overwhelming feeling that someone  
was there, watching him. Lindsey was growing imapatiant, but before he had a chance to shout  
his annoyance, a figure began to imerge from the fog. A man, somewhat short, with black hair.   
Lindsey thought he recognized the figure as he came into view. The figure spoke with what  
seemed to be an Irish accent,"Hello there, I've been waitin' quite a while for ya'"   
"I know you..." replied Lindsey, waisting no time in pleasantries. "I've seen your face   
somewhere, who the hell are you?"  
"My, my, my aren't we a bit rude!"said the man with mock hurt," names Doyle. I'm what you would  
call a messenger....for TPTB."  
"TPTB? You mean the powers that be...thats what soul-boy over in L.A. works for. What are you  
doing here?" there was a slight hint of defensivness and eagerness in Lindsey's voice. He wanted  
to know what was going on...now.  
"Well, listen up and I'll tell you. You've been chosen t-" Before Doyle could finish  
his sentence, Lindsey interupted,"Dont even finish that sentance! I dont wanna be 'chosen' for  
anything, especially if it has to do with you guys! I'm tired of all this supernatural crap! I   
left L.A to get away from it, and I dont wanna go back.I'm guessing it has somethingto do with   
that Cordy chick right? And if it deals with her then its eventually going to having something  
to do with Angel right?"Lindsey didn't wait for a responce from the now   
stone-faced Doyle who seemed to be taking all this in,"Right!If you haven't noticed,  
me and Angel..dont mix! Leave me the hell alone! You want some sap to be your'chosen' one?   
Go get tall-dark-and broody.......he does that kind of stuff, and-"   
Lindsey was cut off by Doyle this time,"Now thats enough! You dont have a choice! And besides, Angel, he  
has enough to deal with and doesn't need what I'm gonna give you. Now-"  
"Angel...thats where I've seen you. Back in Wolfram and Hart, while I was looking up files on  
Angel...your name came up once or twice. Doyle....you died didn't you?" Lindsey let out  
a snort and under his breath muttered,"They *always* come back, dont they?"  
" Well, now that we're all caught up, can I finish?" Lindsey didn't say a word and decided to  
let the Irish man talk," Yes, I'm dead, but I still do errands for TPTB now and then. Which brings  
me to you my boy. You've been chosen to be 'the protector'"  
"Wow, that sounds original!" said Lindsey, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Doyle looked at him  
for a moment with a look that said 'you done yet?' and continued," As I was sayin'. You're the   
protector. *Cordy's* protector to be presice. The girl can't handle the visions man!They're too much for her. She's   
only human!"  
"Yeah, well so am I."  
"Yeah, but you can help. I'll give you the power to take the pain from her,lessen it really  
...without you"Doyle paused a moment,"she'll die. Eventually, they'll get to   
her....the pain, it-it'll kill her.Cordy, she cant do it alone anymore...she needs your help."  
"Why dont you get Angel?"Lindsey gave him one of those 'I dont understand looks'"...he's   
stronger, he's the knight in shinning armor,the bloodsucking hero, and-" Doyle cut him off.  
"No, not him. He may be the knight in shinning armor...but he's not human. Her protecter needs to   
be human. Its confusing"he said as he waved it off casually,"...has something to do with 'the balance'   
and all that junk-" Lindsey gave him a 'what the hell are you talking about look' and Doyle   
said," Listen mate, just take my word for it. The protector *has* to be human."  
Doyle reached for the inside pocket of his coat and pulled out a fist-sized rock. It was glowing  
and a feeling of imense energy was emulating from it. The rock seemed to pulse and was bright  
red, Doyle began to walk towards Lindsey.   
Lindsey tried to move. He couldn't. He tried to speak......he couldn't. Fear and anger  
rushed through his body, along with the only solitary thoughts that he could make his brain form,  
"what the hell is that?!?" and "is that thing hot?!"  
Doyle looked into Lindsey large, blue, frightened eyes and said, as if he read his thoughts,"No,  
its not *that* hot."  
TBC  



	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
10:00AM Texas  
Lindsey stood in front of the bathroom mirror his body covered in sweat, his eyes   
glazed from fear and lack of sleep and total disbelief of what had just happened. He looked  
down at his chest, he could still feel the pressure of where that idiot in his dream had put  
that hot stone. Was what had just happened to him real? He leaned down to splash cold water on  
his face. With his hands on the sink, he leaned into the mirror, looking at himself...then  
he finally uttered the words,"Wolfram and Hart." It was probably some sick joke of theirs to   
lure him back to that godforesaken town. Either to kill him or use him, he didn't care. He wasn't  
going back. He realized that the dreams had nothing to do with Cordelia or Doyle....this was a   
trick and he wasn't falling for it. With that Lindsey decide to start getting ready for the day,  
he had a gig tonight at the local bar and he needed to focus on that.  
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The Hyperion  
Cordy sat on the couch of the Hyperion waiting for the boys to come back. They had gone  
out demon hunting about an hour ago after a few of Gunn's friends droped by and filled them in  
on some major vamp activity on the other side of town. Cordy was anxious and nervous, she hadn't  
had a vision all day and she knew one was coming. She just wished that someone was here with her  
when it hit. As if almost on cue, it came. Seering pain roared through her mind as she fell  
to the floor clutching her head. Flashes and images raced through her mind as Cordy slowly   
crawled to the coffee table to jote down on a note pad what she had seen,the regular big bad:as  
ugly as ever. After a moment of composing herself, she stood andon wobbly legs went to call Angel  
on his cell phone to tell him what she had seen. "Damnit!" she said outloud. Angel had left  
his cell phone home *again*. "Well, I'll just have to wait untill he gets home wont I?!" She   
flopped down on the couch, closed her eyes, and rubbed her head. She waited for the pain to pass.  
-----------------------------------  
At the same time in Texas...  
Lindsey was just about to go on stage. Everyone loved him here so he wasn't nervous, but he  
had this feeling that something wasn't right. Like something was going to happen. He immediatly  
shook it off and went back to tuning his guitar.  
Finally the announcer called him on stage. The croud applauded and whistled. Lindsey took a   
seat on a stool in the middle of the stage and postitioned his guitar,"How is everyone tonight?"  
he asked,"Well, I've been working on this one song. You see, I was having these dreams....and well,  
you'll see" he said with a smile. He began to strum a slow and steady tune, when suddenly pain filled  
his body. It came without warning, and in the blink of an eye, he was on the floor holding his head  
and cursing. The crowd looked on, worried. Stage hands soon crowded around him and one shouted,  
"Dont just stand there, call an ambulance!"then turned to Lindsey still on the ground and said  
"Lindsey, man, are you okay?" Lindsey was out cold.  
--------------------------------------  
"Damn" said Lindsey as he surveyed his surroundings,"I cant be back here again." He was  
dreaming...agian. He turned and saw Doyle, he didn't look to happy."What the hell am I doing here?"  
yelled Lindsey,"Thats exactly what I was gonna ask you?" Doyle said it angerly," I told you to go  
to L.A, help Cordy."   
"I'm not falling for this crap. Its a trick, its all a-"  
"Its not a damn trick! Didn't you see what happened, didn't you feel it? The pain, up there on  
that stage? Didn't you feel it!! Thats what Cordelia has to go through everyday for the rest of her  
life! Your saying you dont want to help?!......To bad! You dont have a choice. You either go to  
her or your going to feel the same kind of pain she does whenever she has a vision. Whats done is   
done, you cant change it!   
"What! You're saying I either go to L.A or my life is going to be like this, you little-"  
"Little what? Come on, I gave you fair warning, I *told* you in black and white what you were to   
do: Go to L.A and help Cordelia. But you have to be such an ass! I dont give a damn weather you  
wake up tomorrow, but I care about Cordelia. And for some strange reason unbenonst to me, the   
powers that be have chosen you! Now, you go to L.A or things are going to get worse...*a lot*   
worse. Believe me, her visions...you think they're bad now? Just wait! Now you have a choice;  
go and help her or, stay here...go through imense pain , oh, and did  
I mention, get your ass kicked by me." Doyle said the last part with a threatening smile.  
"Okay" said Lindsey," If, *if* I go back.....what do I have to do? Do I have to be apart  
of their little well-oiled-crime-fighting machine?"  
"No. You dont have to help fight. Just be there for the visions. What you have to do its   
simple really. Whenever Cordelia has a vision, you have to be there. The stone I put in  
you last night, its the part Cordy needs. If you two come together during or after a vision, the  
pain, it'll stop. Easy as that."  
"Come together? What do you mean 'come together'?"  
"Get your mind out of the gutter you little wanker! Not that way! Just be near her.   
You *have* to near her."  
"What if we're on opposite sides of the city?"  
"Dont be."  
"What? So, now we have to live together? Wait, no...lets see if we can make this even worse!   
How about we get joined at the hip! Then we would *always* be   
together" Lindsey said sarcastically.  
Doyle looked at him for a moment, not amused,"No, you idiot!..... You'll figure it out."  
Lindsey looked at him sceptically then said, "Okay, so...all I have to do is be  
there for the visions? I dont have to help out, put up with  
soul boy? None of that...just the visions? And you say they'll get worse..for both of us, if I   
dont go?"  
Doyle nodded his head in agreement and looked at Lindsey expectantly.  
Lindsey sighed, and finally made the words come out of his mouth,"I'll go to L.A."  
"Good man! I knew you come around" Doyle went to put an arm around him,"So, we'll get you on  
the first plane out of here!"  
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Lindsey woke up in the hospital. His friends all around his bed."Hey guys" Lindsey said groggaly.  
"Hey man, you okay?" asked one of his friends,Mark  
"Yeah......what happened was, just.....a....a...migrain! Thats it. Yeah, migrains, bad!" he said  
with a short, forced laugh.  
"Listen guys, I gotta get out of here."  
"Yeah, were working on getting you released" Mark said.  
"No, I dont just mean out of the hospital. I'm leaving for L.A"  
TBC  
  
  
  



End file.
